Elitism in architecture is
evident in various aspects: architects are elevated as authorities on built
environment quality, recruitment often draws from elite circles, commissions
primarily come from elite patrons, and the profession largely caters to the
values and aesthetic preferences of privileged groups. Prestigious architecture
awards on a global scale reinforce this elitism, thereby producing so-called
‘starchitects’, who, in turn, benefit from this recognition. Among numerous
evaluative frameworks, the Pritzker Prize (PP) stands out as one of the most
esteemed. It is hypothesized that this prize favors architects whose
nationalities are aligned with the ‘West’, over ‘non-Western’ counterparts. In
light of substantial critique directed at this historically-based dichotomy as
overly simplistic, the culturally-rooted ‘Clash of Civilizations’ theory, which
identifies eight key world civilizations, offers an alternative framework for
analysis.
Employing a
qualitative research methodology with case studies as its primary strategy,
this research utilizes data from the Pritzker Prize's official website (pritzkerprize.com) to identify
trends and cycles of PP-winning starchitects across various nationalities
worldwide. By tabulating these findings and triangulating data with other
extant sources, the study applies the aforementioned theory to analyze these
nationalities, situating each within its corresponding geographic regions and
thus, key civilization.
Conducted
in November 2024, this research analyzes 47 PP award cycles and identifies that
starchitects from 21 different nationalities have received the prize over the
years. Among these, architects
representing Western civilizations have overwhelmingly secured the prize 36
times, followed by Japanese architects with 9 wins, Latin American architects
with 4, and a single win each for architects from Sinic, Hindu, and African civilizations.
Consequently, the hypothesis is
affirmed, demonstrating that the PP exhibits a preferential bias towards the
Western civilization.
